Daily News sports columnist retires, Deadspin says it’s over molestation allegations

    Deadspin is reporting longtime Daily News columnist Bill Conlin has resigned from his position as the Inquirer gets ready to publish a story about child molestation allegations against him.

    DN Executive Sports Editor Josh Barnett confirms to our Dave Davies that Conlin has resigned.

    Update, 2:55 p.m.  Mr. Conlin is obviously floored by these accusations, which supposedly happened 40 years ago,” Conlin’s attorney, George Bochetto, said. “He has engaged me to do everything possible to bring the facts forward to vindicate his name.”

    Bochetto said Conlin resigned to protect the paper from the harm associated with the allegations, but that neither he nor Conlin has been contacted by law enforcement about the accusations.

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    Update, 4:30 p.m. In her story, Inquirer reporter Nancy Phillips cites family members and family friends of Conlin who recount encounters with the columnist they say took place in the ’70s. Daily News Editor Larry Platt accepted Conlin’s offer to retire.

    Conlin, 78, recently won the J. G. Taylor Spink Award from the National Baseball Hall of Fame. According to Deadspin, a national sports blog, the Inquirer story is being done by investigative reporter Nancy Phillips.

    When news broke earlier this fall that Penn State football coach Joe Paterno had been fired amid child sex abuse allegations against former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky, Conlin took to his column to write about the media blitz, university responsibility and what the alleged victims are owed.

    Philadelphia Police tell NewsWorks’ Brian Hickey there is no active investigation into the accusations against Conlin.

    NewsWorks will have more coverage of this story as it develops.

    An earlier version of this story reported Conlin had won the Ford C. Frick Award.

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